The Catalyst Always Starts
by jacksparrow589
Summary: I suppose you could call this preRoyai Royai. Spoilers for chapters in the late fifties and early sixties. You have to read the manga to get the story behind this, but this in and of itself could not have taken place. Rating for safety.


**BEFORE YOU START: I know perfectly well that this is OOC. See the A/N at the end for notes on this.**

"Mr. Mustang?"

"Don't call me that, Riza. You're only… three years younger than me if I remember right."

Riza ignored her dinner companion's request. "I'm seventeen, and I can make my own decision about what to do with my life, right?"

Roy looked at her cautiously. "Right."

"So, I could go into the military?"

Choking on his water, Roy coughed, "No! Absolutely not!" He cleared his throat. "That's- What- You don't even _like_ the military!"

"You're right; I don't. However, someone I owe a great deal to _is_ joining, and I'd regret it the rest of my life if I didn't help him," Riza explained.

"What if he doesn't think you should?" Roy asked. "What if he doesn't want you to throw away your life like he's doing?"

Riza began to clear the dishes, stopping only to look into Roy's eyes and stating quite clearly, "I don't believe that's his choice to make."

Roy stood up and walked over to her. "Think for a moment, Riza. Just humor me. What if you fall in love with some guy? What if some guy doesn't treat you like he should? What happened to having a family?"

With a rueful smile, Riza replied, "I've thought about that long and hard. I can protect myself well enough, and any man that I fall in love with probably wouldn't return my affections anyway. And don't you think I'm just a _little_ young to be having children?"

The last comment made Roy blush. "Well, I didn't mean right _now_," he retorted rather waspishly. "The military uses you for as long as it uses you. Sure, you might be able to quit, but you won't leave in good standing if you just up and leave; you'd need a reason, and a good one at that."

"I don't plan on leaving the person I need to protect alone, you know. If he's in, I'm in."

"Riza, please… I really don't want anything to happen to you!" Roy pleaded, the pretense of a third party cast aside.

"Do you think I have a death wish or something? And anyway, I have confidence in who I'm protecting."

"Then why are you going to protect him?"

Riza stared at Roy, making him look down. "Because there are just going to be some times when he won't be able to."

Copper and onyx met. Roy could not read what she was thinking, which was rare. He just knew that he could not lose this argument, even thought he probably would.

He made a disgusted noise when he finally looked away. "Fine, dammit. I'm not your dad, and I can't expect you to look to me like that, but I'll have you know that I won't pretend I don't care. If I have a problem, I _will_ voice it loudly."

"You already did, and look where it got you." Riza went back to cleaning.

"Smart-ass." It was not his best insult, but he was not out to win any prizes. "You were raised better than that."

"I'm sure you were raised better than to call a girl 'smart-ass', right?" she asked, not missing a beat.

Well, two could play _that_ game. "Doesn't mean it doesn't suit you."

"Notice how _I_ didn't point that out." She thought for a moment. "Fits _you_ quite nicely, too."

Roy laughed. "So I hear from just about every military man. That and, 'bratty little upstart who doesn't know his place'."

Rolling her eyes, Riza muttered, "Well, that'll be one more thing I'm in there for. At least I can conduct myself properly."

Roy sounded impressed when he complimented, "Spoken like a true woman."

Riza's eyes flickered to the floor. "We already knew _that_, didn't we?"

Wincing at the double entendre concerning his little lesson in alchemy, he replied uncomfortably, "Yeah. I guess we did. You'll let me know if… y'know… somebody pursues you inappropriately, right? I've heard it happens with extended stints." He felt like a father, addressing this issue with his own daughter- an _extremely_ scary thought.

"Luckily for you I'm not easily swayed by sex and promotions," Riza replied frankly. "I'm in this for you."

Roy groaned and swiped his hand across his forehead in exasperation. "That's _exactly_ what I'm concerned about. If someone were to threaten me-"

"I'd do what I have to. End of discussion."

"What does what you 'have to do' entail?" Roy placed a hand on either side of her on the counter. "Just answer me."

Riza's eyes seemed to glow with determination. "Whatever it takes to keep you safe." She slipped out from beneath his arm and went to her room, shutting and locking the door.

Roy leaned back against the door. "You let anything happen to yourself, and I'll forgive neither you nor myself."

Softly, Riza spoke, "You don't need to play the hero on my account."

"You said that there will be times when I won't be able to protect myself, so you'll protect me. I promise the same."

"It's going to be hard. You're a man- you know how it is."

"In my eyes, you got shaft being born a girl."

"That's not to say I can't use it to my advantage."

"True." Roy sighed. "I can't argue with you and win, can I?"

"Generally not."

"Well, then, let's see what we can do about you and enlistment."

Riza opened her door. "Mr. M-… Roy?"

Roy turned, having started walking down the hall.

Stepping up to him, Riza flashed a smile. "Thanks. I won't let you down."

Giving her a return grin, Roy told her, "That's one thing I'll never question."

**END**

**A/N: My take on this one was that Roy kind of viewed Riza as a younger sister at first. And we all know how much he cares about those close to him. Since this is pre-military for the most part, I'm using that to justify the use of over-emotionizing (what the heck?), and, in my opinion, making Riza a bit bolder than she should be. However, this is supposed to be late enough for Riza to have made her decision.**


End file.
